NXL Implosion !!

[Rocky Knuth]

As Rocky stated earlier - the Naughty Dogs where offered but they turned it down, and I say good for them - but they also must know that if it takes off there is always the possibility that they - as the Naughty Dogs - might not get to play in the NXL. The players might - if picked up by other teams, but the team as a whole might be outta luck.

Goose,

That could happen, I sure hope not...... There was a couple of factors that made us decide not to do the NXL....

1. We already made commitments to other sponsors. I stick to my commitments. This was a tough one because some of our major sponsors are on both sides. Since the X-ball thing put everyone in such limbo at the end of last season we had to do what was best for the team. We had to make decisions based on a timeline I set to get prepared for our first PRO new season. I have been grooming my team for 4 years to turn PRO. Getting all of my sponsorship and players in line.

2. They wanted me to give up my team name and sign off all the rights. I worked to hard and invested to much of my personal money to get the team where its at. I wouldnt EVEN budge on that aspect.

3. As a first year pro team I wanted my players to play all the leagues and different formats so we choose what we like the best.


All in all it was a really tough choice, I think Richmond's vision is on the right track, I just hope he gets it on TV. It will make the sport better for everyone.


Roc

 

[goose]

Hey Rocky,

I for one, hope that if the "X" jumps off then there will be no hard feelings between the higher-ups and the teams that chose not to play this year. I think it would be a great loss to the game if those who decided to wait, got screwed in the end.

Your reasons for not playing are all great - especially #2 - I was just using you guys as an example of what "might happen" as opposed to what "should" happen. As I said, once big money enters the equation, people get strange.


goose

 

[raehl]

Those who decided to wait *SHOULD* get screwed.

If they didn't put their money/time/reputations on the line, they shouldn't expect to be treated the same as those who did.

I would expect, and it would be perfectly fair, that if NXL takes off anyone else who wants in on it will have to fork over a big chunk of change to be in. That's the price of not wanting to take the risk. Waiting until someone else makes it successful is easy. Risking the loss is where the rewards are.

- Chris

 

[NulodPBall]

Originally posted by goose
As I said, once big money enters the equation, people get strange.

Goose: Yes, you're right but viewing another aspect of that fact is that if 2 of the 8 walk away from X-ball, they have to start paying their own way. Alot of guys I know, in order to have the needed days off, have chosen jobs/positions where the money isn't quite as good as it could be. It's a big shock going from occasionally paying only for practice paint, to springing for $800.00 a tournament. One of the reasons Bob has had a hard time keeping a SoCal contingint on his team (in the past) is the cost of traveling to practice, if he wasn't paying for it. Oh well, I digress...you have some valid points...I hope that NXL takes off but somehow I don't see it happening soon...and now, for my most favorite quote of the day "There are NO Americans within one hundred miles of Bagdad!"

Ray

 

[repairman]

x-ball

Hmmm............... Well as Robbo and I have spoken many times before regarding this format I will explain my position which you may or may not care about. I that for the player it is a great format with lots of games. It feels however more like a weekend practice between Dynasty and Bobbie's guys at his house. By the 10th game you know all the lanes and where everyone is going to
run. The game then settles into a mind numbing experience of
"look left" and "Here he comes". So over that. With the advent of this format has come the Robot players. No longer do the seasoned veterans matter. The focus is on players with listening
skills to the coach on the sidelines. This format has definitely
hurt teams like Strange and the Russian who have been practicing this format and then had dismal results in Portugal.
Now maybe I am totally off the mark but I don't think so. With
teams like SC Ironmen and Miami Effect playing each weekend at
SC Village practice for X-ball we are watching the deminishing level of play at the pro ranks. These guys are getting run down by the likes of the Hostile Kids at their own format.
Opposing all this is a league that is still playing a format which
is ruled by the players on the field and not the coach with a joystick from the sidelines. As I am writing this I have heard that they are actually thinking about changing the format and not allowing the coaches to speak from the sideline. Hmm regular 5-man anyone. I'm board already.
As to which format will make it to TV. Here we go. To figure that TV would take our sport to "Live" television is likely to happen along with episodes of "The Running Man" (Arnold's movie for those that don't remember). We are at best an Extreme sport everyone. If you think we are something better than that I have a bridge to sell you. Yes we will be a Billion dollar industry reaching maybe 12million people this year if we are lucky, but Iam sorry if you think that we can match up with the NFL, NBA; or any other league at this point. We are at the same cross road that Motorcross was at many years ago, and where are they at now?
Large Stadiums Thousands of Spectators- Television (not live).
So I can definitely see X-ball with no spectators going straight to live TV. You guys are crazy. As with any format in post production any format will work. You don't need Hockey paintball to make this whole thing happen. I think that you will see television going with the league that has its Sh*& together and the teams will all end up in the right league.

The Repairman, Waiting for the complaints..........Sorry for the reality check.

 

[Richard Kirke (DUPS Rocket) UK]

So you're not a huge fan then?

Well if you've read this months PGI you'll know that there are already people out there who love watching the format. Whether or not it is boring to play is really not that important to the TV people, its whether or not it's exciting to watch that matters.

There appears to be very mixed opinions as to what X-Ball is like to watch, I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Richard

 

[knobbs]

I, for one, loved watching X-Ball at Cup last year. I never thought about the 'robot players' thing, though. Interesting.

 

[raehl]

Yeah, and football and basketball and chess...

Same fields for a hundred, 50, or thousands of years - those games are getting pretty dull, arn't they?

It's not the field tha makes the game exciting. It's the interaction of the different players. Even with just 20 bunkers per location, how many cobinations are there of players left, bunkers, sides of bunkers to shoot or not shoot out of, situations with the clock and the score, etc?

A few of the college teams went into Cup last year with 4+ different game plans to cycle through for the field. Sometimes they did the same thing every game for a whole match because it worked, sometimes they managed to do it for two points before the other team figured it out, spanked them, and they moved on to something else.

The vast majority of the players who actually *PLAY* X Ball like X Ball. I'm not just talking NXL or PSP or College players either, I'm talking about relative tournament newbies at the local field that has an "X Ball" event every couple of weeks, with stopwatches and pencil and paper substituted for a scoreboard.

Perfect? Of course not. For eveyone? No way. But just as good or better than 5, 7 or 10-man? You bet. Different maybe, but certainly as much or more potential.

- Chris

 

[repairman]

whow Richard

I am all for it. Let all the teams stay over there and play as much
X-ball as they like. I know however that they will all end up playing in other leagues because they are all bored as hell.
Which league do you think will make it to TV first? OR do think that the NPPL makes it before 2005?

Repairman

 

[Richard Kirke (DUPS Rocket) UK]

Which league will make it on TV first? Don't know, to be honest as I have said above i shall be suprised if paintball ever becomes a regularly televised sport, pleasantly suprised but suprised nevertheless. Whether or not I shall ever be able to watch it (in the UK) is a whole other question of course...

IMHO paintball is only exciting to watch for people who know what's going on, otherwise its just 10, 12,14 or 20 guys standing behind big balloons shooting at each other.

Of course I could be wrong, they televised cricket afterall...

Richard